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Nathan Bedford Forrest
.' Nathan Bedford Forrest' was a confederate commander and a war Criminal during the American Civil War. Among other crimes, Forrest had Union soldiers burnt alive and buried alive at the Fort Pillow Massacre. It's also alleged that Forrest founded the Ku Klux Klan, Nathan Forrest and generally accepted that he served as Grand Wizard of the Klan and eventually disbanded it (or claimed to have disbanded it. It's hard to be sure. Forrest was a slippery SOB). Forrest may have done that too or may have helped found the KKK, we don't know for sure. We do know that Forrest was a remarkable man. From humble beginnings, and lacking formal education, his business ventures as slave trader, land speculator and planter allowed him to amass a fortune before the Civil War. At the War's onset, Forrest enlisted as a private soldier in the Tennessee Mounted Rifles, but soon decided to help equip the unit at his own expense. His efforts were soon rewarded with promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and he was given the task of forming a battalion of his own. It's alleged that Forrest not only recruited white men for his command, but also enrolled a number of his own slaves with the promise of freedom in exchange for their service. Of course, it's also alleged that he flew into a rage and killed any that deserted his command His Civil War exploits, with the exception of some enraged hardassery, are generally exceptional, and he rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. This makes Forrest the only man on either side of the conflict to have risen as far. Forrest did join the KKK after the War (though he lied about that for years), he was elected to its highest rank (lied about that too), and he did order the KKK be disbanded (actually did that, but the KKK may have known it was a lie). Whether that's an indication of change of heart or change of circumstance is a question we may not be able to answer. Forrest also, in later life became active in Christianity and Civil Rights advocacy. He's just quite a character, no matter which legend you credit. Forrest and the Democratic Party Was Forrest a Democrat? Unfortunately, sometimes he was. Nathan Bedford Forrest On the other hand, Political Parties didn't exist in the Confederacy, so he wasn't a Democrat during the war. A big part of the beef of ex-Confederates after the Civil War was that their political franchise and civil rights weren't restored. It was even more difficult for ex-Confederate leaders, or suspected war-criminals to have their rights restored. It's likely that neither Forrest nor the other founders were Democrats at the time that the KKK was founded, because they had no voting rights and couldn't officially rejoin the Party. Was he an extreme social conservative? Hell yeah he was, but even that seemed to change in later life. Modern Conservatives sometimes try to hold past problems with the Democratic Party against modern Democrats as a way to cover up for their own bigotry or that of their buddies. One way of doing that is to mention that Forrest was a Democrat and (possibly) founded the KKK without mentioning that the Democratic Party, and maybe Forrest himself, have changed during their lifetimes. https://moderate-rightpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Bedford_Forest?oldid=800 https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2004/different-kind-hero In the 19th Century the Democratic Party had too many members who were racist and conservative and sometimes the Party itself was Racist and conservative. In the first part of the 20th Century many southern Democrats tended to be racist and conservative, and there were plenty of racist conservatives outside of the South too. Democrats recognized that years ago, and are working to be better. Most Republicans, on the other hand, are still in denial, and actively welcoming to racists and nativists. Today in the 21st Century it's the Republican Party that is the preference of racists, nativists, and reactionary conservatives in the USA. Forrest and those like him would be far more comfortable in the Republican Party they and those like them have corrupted. References Category:US History Category:People who break the law Category:Conservative Deceit Category:People Who Suck Category:Democratic Party Category:Criminals